Massive Mail-In Voting Expansion; Election Day Now An IL Holiday
ILLINOIS — In an effort to reduce crowds at the polls and help prevent the spread of coronavirus on Election Day on Nov. 3, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday signed a major vote-by-mail expansion. The measure also makes Election Day a state holiday — which will allow schools to be empty of students and teachers as voters who cast their ballots in person arrive at the polls.
Around 5 million Illinois voters will now receive mail-in voting applications thanks to the measure, which was approved by the Illinois General Assembly last month.
Illinois Coronavirus Update June 17: 133,639 Cases, 6,398 Deaths
"In the face of a pandemic, massive economic upheaval and renewed calls for racial justice, it’s more important than ever that Illinoisans can hold accountable a truly representative and transparent government — and that means ensuring all eligible residents can wield their right to vote in a way that doesn’t risk their personal health," Pritzker said in a statement Tuesday.
The temporary mail-in voting expansion only applies to the Nov. 3 general election, which could see a higher-than-usual voter turnout since it is a presidential election year.
In Illinois, mail-in voting applications will now automatically be sent to anyone who voted in the 2018 general election, 2019 municipal election or March 17 primary, as well as anyone who registered to vote or updated their address since the primary.
The law allows local election authorities to set up secure drop boxes for mail-in ballots without postage and to establish curbside voting, which will allow voters to fill out their ballots outside the polling place. Collection boxes are required to be locked and opened only by election authorities.
Voters who submit their application for a vote-by-mail ballot by Oct. 1 will receive it by Oct. 6.
The Illinois State Board of Elections is also required to:
Post the application for a vote by mail ballot on its website.
Allow those who register to vote online to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot when completing the online registration.
Give notice to each election authority about what it must do to comply with the new law.
Adopt emergency rules to provide reimbursement for expenses related to the 2020 general election incurred as a result of COVID-19 and the new requirements.
President Donald Trump — who has voted by mail in multiple elections — and some Republicans have opposed voting by mail, saying it creates the potential for voter fraud.
"The United States cannot have all Mail In Ballots," the president tweeted in May. "It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history. People grab them from mailboxes, print thousands of forgeries and 'force' people to sign. Also, forge names. Some absentee OK, when necessary. Trying to use Covid for this Scam!"
But in Illinois, there was outcry over the state holding the primary election as usual in March, just as coronavirus cases had begun to spike. A "tsunami" of election judges — many of them elderly or at high risk of complications for the virus — did not show up on that election day. In April, a Chicago election judge died after contracting the COVID-19 virus.
Polling places were also relocated from retirement homes and senior facilities for the March 17 primary to avoid exposing residents to the coronavirus.
Related:
How The Coronavirus Could Hinder Your Right To Vote Safely
Mail-In Voting Support Rises, But Partisan Divides Prevail: Poll
Can The Postal Service Handle A National Mail-In Election?
This article originally appeared on the Across Illinois Patch
